ENIGMA — Stars Misaligned (review)

ENIGMA — Stars Misaligned album cover EP · 2016 · Technical Death Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
UMUR
"Stars Misaligned" is an EP release by US, San Jose, California based death metal act Enigma. Enigma was formed in 2014 and "Stars Misaligned" is the band´s first release. The EP was released independently in July 2016. Enigma is a five-piece on this EP consisting of Dan Saltzman (Bass), Harley Blandford (Drums), Ryan McNatt, (Guitars), Byron Leon (Guitars), Petr Oplatka (Vocals).

Stylistically the material on "Stars Misaligned" is technical/progressive death metal with both deep intelligible growling and high pitched screaming. More than once during the playing time I´m reminded of a more progressive oriented and technical The Black Dahlia Murder. The EP features 5 tracks and a full playing time of 28:31, which is a good length in terms of getting to know Enigma´s sound.

"Stars Misaligned" is generally quite an adventurous release and the tracks on the EP feature interesting structures and lots of progressive ideas. The adventurous nature of the material doesn´t have effect on the power nor on the impact of the music, so while you can certainly immerse yourself in the technical playing and the progressive details, the music doesn´t feel calculated and the band skillfully manage to deliver a brutal assault on the ears to make your head bang.

"Stars Misaligned" also features a powerful, detailed, and professional sounding production, so upon conclusion the EP features many high quality elements. For all the adventurous ideas and jaw-dropping technical performances featured on the release, Enigma still lack a more personal and distinct sound though. It´s not a huge issue considering the high quality of the rest of the elements on the EP, but it would be the icing on the cake if Enigma worked on that. As it is a 3.5 star (70%) rating is fully deserved, and that rating may even be a bit low.
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